Sustainable culture: As sustainability becomes a focus in the food and beverage industry, more businesses are trying to reduce the environmental impact of hospitality. Penicillin, which calls itself Hong Kong's first sustainable bar concept, was founded in November 2020 and hopes to create a more eco-friendly business model.
Penicillin Hong Kong
A family affair: Penicillin's founders -- married duos Agung and Laura Prabowo, and Katy and Roman Ghale (pictured) -- employ a "closed-loop" model, where leftovers are reused and recycled, with an aim to reduce its carbon footprint and waste.
Penicillin Hong Kong
Locally sourced: All its ingredients are locally sourced to decrease carbon emissions associated with transport, while also promoting regional farmers. The bar's signature fish tacos (pictured) use fish from Yuen Long in Hong Kong, which is paired with a pickled red cabbage garnish.
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Upcycled ingredients: Penicillin is divided into four spaces -- the "laboratory," the bar, the fermentation room and the kitchen. These spaces help optimize the upcycling of leftovers, turning waste from one production process into ingredients in the next. For example, remnants from the red cabbage used in the tacos are brewed in the fermentation room (pictured) to produce cider-like alcoholic drinks.
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Home-brewed beverages: The red cabbage leftovers are fermented with passion fruit and apple for seven days and carbonized, resulting in a fizzy, fuchsia-colored alcoholic beverage (pictured). Similarly, lemon peel scraps are fermented to develop sparkling lemon wine. These upcycling efforts extend beyond food and drinks -- the bar now develops hand sanitizer from surplus ingredients.
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A tailored approach: Beyond its food and beverages, Penicillin attempts to incorporate eco-friendly practices into every aspect of the business. The staff's uniforms are made by a local tailor from recycled cotton, each stitched in a different color to echo the multicolored penicillin capsules the bar gets its name from.
Penicillin Hong Kong
Smart spirits: Penicillin has partnered with EcoSPIRITS, a company that eliminates packaging waste in spirits production. Brand spirits are processed at an EcoPLANT in Hong Kong, and then brought to the bar in an EcoTOTE (pictured), a 4.5-liter reusable container.
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Turning tables: Designed by Hong Kong architecture firm Collective Studio, the bar's interior is also sustainability-focused, using locally sourced materials. The tables are made from wood salvaged from trees uprooted in Hong Kong by Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, and topped with recycled aluminum from the city.
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A bright idea: The bar's lights also incorporate an iconic part of Hong Kong history: its famous neon street signs. Sourced from Street Sign HK, a group dedicated to conserving the shop signs and neon lights that have become synonymous with the city, Collective Studio transformed the tubes into customized wall lights for Penicillin.
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Pit stop: Penicillin's founders are now also engaging with neighboring restaurants to upcycle leftovers. For example, they collect avocado pits from a local Mexican eatery, which are then frozen and served as ice cubes in a cocktail.
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Giving back: In partnership with EcoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group, the sale of each "One Penicillin, One Tree" cocktail (pictured) funds the planting of a tree in Borneo, named after the customer and trackable via a QR code.
